10 Kids Health Issues to Watch in 2007

Nemours Enterprise
Tuesday, December 26, 2006 @ 12:00 AM EST

As 2006 comes to a close, KidsHealth.org, the most-visited children's health website, has published its second annual "10 Kids' Health Issues to Watch." The issues chosen represent a wide range of concerns - some may hit close to home while others may be more far reaching. Of course, these are not the only important issues affecting children's health - far from it - but the physicians and editors at KidsHealth feel that in the midst of many, these are notable:

"For many reasons, children's health issues just don't get the attention they deserve," Neil Izenberg, MD, editor-in-chief and founder of KidsHealth, explains. "This time of year provides the opportunity to look back on what we as adults have done in the past year to positively impact the health of children - and how much more we can do to make their world a healthier, safer, and a more nurturing place."

10 Kids' Health Issues to Watch:
(To read more on each topic, visit: Positive Family Issues in 2007

• Health Care 2.0: From e-prescribing to disease blogs, advances in technology are fast transforming the quality of health care and the way families access it. However, it will be more important than ever for doctors to work with their patients to ensure that the information derived from the array of media outlets is relevant and appropriate for kids.
• Obesity: With nearly a third of American kids and teens overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, it's clear that the battle to control the obesity epidemic must be fought - and won - well beyond the homefront. Now that obesity is recognized as an epidemic, watch for constituencies from all sides to launch initiatives to take on this threat to global health.
• Immunizations - New Safeguards for Kids: The expanding array of shots and the rising costs associated with them could make paying for immunizations more of an issue as health plans may force parents to pay for some or all vaccines, and some doctors may not offer all the vaccines due to problems with reimbursement. Left unchecked, such a trend could create a divide in society between kids who have full protection and those who don't.
• AIDS - A Push for Prevention: With the AIDS epidemic in its 25th year, there is a growing understanding of just how far-reaching the disease has become ― and of the need to prevent HIV infection and to screen kids for it early on.
• Giving Babies a Healthier Start: Doctors are learning more about what's essential for healthy pregnancies, and the importance of conveying that to even very young women. A new wave of prenatal care promises to reduce the number of premature births - lessening the emotional and financial impact they have on families and the entire health care system.
• Drawing the Line Online: A parent's responsibility for a child's safety takes on a whole new meaning in this age of wired kids and teens. Our networked world further complicates the generational divide, as many kids are technologically savvier than their parents.
• Tapping Into Stem Cell Potential: As research around the globe continues, scientists and doctors will learn more about possible roles for stem cells in treating human diseases. Will these promising new approaches bring the breakthroughs that families affected by many devastating, chronic diseases hope?
• Keeping Healthy Foods Safe: With many experts predicting more produce contamination cases, parents will need to take more responsibility for ensuring the healthfulness and safety of the food they put on the table.
• Coping With Health Care Costs: As financial pressure continues to mount on the health care system, poor families won't be the only ones feeling the burden. Many families with health insurance will likely see increased premiums or diminished benefits, and they may even find that as cutbacks continue, they can't always find care when they need it.
• Staying Connected During the Teen Years: Researchers are revisiting the age-old stereotype of the rebellious teen years. As more is understood about what makes teens tick, light is being shed on how parents can stay connected to them during this part of the journey to adulthood.

To read more about each issue, or to share your feedback about other notable issues in 2007, click here.

modified: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 @ 08:33 AM EST
created: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 @ 08:33 AM EST

About Nemours

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.

Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.

Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.